I felt a very cool breeze as I landed on something soft. I slowly opened my eyes when I heard what I thought was birds chirping. I was blinded by the bright sunlight. I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes, before glancing around my surroundings. I was sitting by a huge lake that glistened under the sun. My butt sat on soft and lively green grass. A cool wind blew through my hair. The trees I was surrounded by started rustling against the wind. The wind caused some of the Sakura Blossoms to fall. Wait, Sakura Blossoms? The only country I knew that had them was Japan. I slowly stood up and walked over to the lake. I stared at my reflection in shock. My hair was back to its original length, to my back, but it was a dark red color. My eyes changed from dark brown to being light green. I wore a weird what I guessed was a warrior's kimono. It was knee length, black with designs on it. The sleeves were longer than my arms. I noticed my sword was strapped to my back. I grabbed the handle and took it out from its sheathe. The handle was red with Japanese markings on it. The blade had a dragon engraved on it, going down it. What the hell happened to me? Where am I? Before I blacked out, I was in a dark alleyway. I thought I died after all the metal blocks smashed my head. I pinched my right arm, making sure I wasn't dreaming.

"Ow!" I cried out.

I wiped myself down and started walking deeper into the forest, thoroughly exploring it. The grass started to disperse and turn into rocks and dirt. Somehow I ended up barefooted when I woke up, so my feet kept getting scraped up as I stepped onto the rocks. The ground started to rumble suddenly. I lost my balance and fell onto the ground. I widened my eyes when a giant monster demon emitted from underneath the ground. The beast roared into the sky. I felt my body start to tremble. Its roar echoed throughout the forest. It alarmed the birds, so they flew away into the sky. I started to scoot backwards on the dirt. I most definitely wasn't in South Carolina anymore. I don't think I was even in America anymore. As I scooted back, I sat on a twig, which made it snap. The snap caught the unwanted attention of the monster.

"Shit!" I mumbled to myself.

It scooped me up and held me tightly in its claws. His mouth had saliva dripping from his sharp teeth. I struggled to get of his grasp, trying to break free, but to no avail. The more I struggled free, the tighter it made its grasp. I shut my eyes closed when its mouth came closer to me. I felt its sharp fangs graze my neck, drawing out blood. I opened my eyes, when t stepped. Its head was sliced off. The head plopped onto the ground and rolled around. Blood started spurting from the wound in the neck, before the body feel to the ground. I crawled out its claws, when its grasp loosened. I tightly grabbed my chest trying to calm down my heart. I took deep breaths as I tried to catch up to it. I saw a guy jump on top of the body. He held his sword to his shoulder and stared down at me. A chesire like smirk played its way to his lips.

"You should be more careful." He warned me as he jumped down.

He landed right in front of me.

"Monster such as that, roam this forest. They can smell blood and fear."

I noticed this guy wasn't staring into my eyes, when he told me that, instead it seems as though he was staring at my…

"Black underwear, huh? Nice choice in panties."

I felt my face heating up as I smacked his face with my fist.

"Pervert!" I yelled at him.

I quickly closed my legs and turned around.

"Thanks a lot. That's a good payment to someone who risked their life to save yours." He told me sarcastically.

"Well, I would have thanked you properly if you didn't look up my kimono!" I yelled angrily at him.

"It's not my fault! It was in my line of sight." He argued as he crossed his arms against his chest.

"You was staring right at it, you perv! You could've at least warned me and turned away like a proper gentleman!" I argued back

He scoffed at me.

"Pft, whatever, you still owe me a proper thank you." He told me as he grabbed my face.

He pulled it closer to his face. I stared deeply into his dark brown eyes.

"You have such a cute face and soft, pink lips." He told me as he grazed my lips with his fair skinned thumb.

"A kiss will definitely be enough to thank me."

He closed his eyes and puckered up his thin lips. My right eye started twitching. I pushed his face back with my foot.

"I don't think so, Romeo." I told him.

"I'm letting some guy I just met kiss me."

I pushed my foot harder into his face, drawing him back enough to give us some between. I laughed as I placed my foot back on the ground. His face had a red footprint on it.

"I'll get that kiss someday." He said getting up.

"Don't count on it." I told him also getting up.

He started walking away ahead of me. I followed closely behind him

"Yo, can you tell me where I am?" I asked him.

"My name is Shinosuke and we are in the Meiji Era of Japan."

"The what? Meiji Era? Of Japan? As in the country?"

"Ya, stupid. There is no other Japan. I live in a nearby village. It's poor, but the people there are nice and can provide you with the proper hospitality."

"You kind if came in the nick of time."

"Oh, well I heard the roar of that monster and immediately rushed into the scene. I'm the protector of my village, at least until "SHE" appears."

"Who's "she"?" I asked curiously.

"There's a legend once told in my village that a beautiful and powerful warrior protected my village a long time ago. She had lovely long red hair and lively green colored eyes. She carried a crimson stained blade with a drawing of a dragon and the kanji of "bravery and loyalty" engraved onto the handle."

"How did she die?"

"She died in battle. She managed to kill the monster, but used the last of her strength. She died with a beautiful smile on her face."

""So, what's with the "when she appears"?"

"The legend continues to say that her reincarnation will appear from another world."

I pondered for a moment.

"That sounds cool!"

I couldn't be…? No, it's impossible. It's just a coincidence. We arrived to the end of the forest when a group of homes started appearing. The village was a lively place filled with children chasing one another happily, adult women hanging laundry outside to dry and the elderly resting in wooden chairs while watching the children roam cheerfully through the village. The village rested upon a huge grassy hill. I felt very warm inside as gazed upon the happy villagers. Shinosuke led me to a small wooden cabin in the far back. When he opened the door, a couple of boys ran out and embraced tightly around his leg. They look just like him with dark brown eyes, fair skin, and short black hair. Shinosuke pushed the both of them back inside their home. They were twins. Shinosuke introduced the shorter one as Kyo and the slightly taller one as Ryo. They were both at least four years old. Shinosuke sat me down on a soft bed. He walked away and came back holding a first aid kit. He first grabbed my right foot and started wrapping it up. I stared at him.

"Our parents died when they were two. Since then, I've been taking care of the, on my own."

"How did they pass?" I asked as him as he switched to my left foot.

"My parents were famous assassins. They were Samurai who killed other Samurai, but only the criminal ones. They were slaughtered during a battle. Their opponent was too much for them both to handle. Every year on the anniversary of their deaths, I go to their gravestone and pray. I tell them that I'm taking real good care of the twins. Before they died, they trained me in swordsmanship and now I teach Kyo and Ryo."

I continued to stare deeply in his eyes as his face closer. He patched up the wound in my neck with a large gauze. His eyes revealed sorrow and loneliness. My body automatically embraced his neck.

"Gomen, Shinosuke-san." I whispered into his ear.

"Losing parents is something I can't imagine, but you are not alone. I promise to stay beside you." I whispered to him again.

I felt him embrace my back tightly.

'Arigatou…" was all he said quietly.

"Anyways, what's your name" He asked me trying to change the subject.

"I'm Brittnee." I replied to his question.

"That sounds like a foreign name. Where are you from?"

"You can say I'm from far away." I told him.

"How's life where you're from?" He asked trying to start up another conversation.

"I guess you can say horrible."

"Why?"

"Well, my parents have been fighting all year, every night and day. Sometimes I get caught in between their arguments. I end up injured and having to get serious medical treatment. So, lately I've been angry and to channel it, I joined a gang at my school."

"Gomen." Shinosuke apologized.

"Ee eh." I shook my head back and forth.

"It's alright. It's something I have to endure." I told him.

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